The PastPresent Project began as a way to showcase my grandfather’s vintage photography from around the United States, but the project that resulted happened purely by chance. It all started in October 2012 with a randomly selected box of slides that contained his photographs of the Oregon Coast, which is exactly where I would be traveling a week later. Most of the images were scenic shots, but one shot displayed a building in the small coastal town of Winchester Bay. I wondered, what if I could replicate my grandfather’s photograph 30 years later? I did just that and my new mission was born.
Upon returning home, and seeing the interest that built around that single photograph, I wondered how many more I could possibly capture. With the help of my grandmother’s detailed travel journals from their cross-country trips, I have managed to discover the location of dozens of my grandfather’s images. A project that began by chance, now often determines where my next journey will take me.
Since I largely have my grandfather to thank for my love of travel and photography, I wanted to honor his memory by replicating the photographs he took from his trips all across America. This is my PastPresent to him!
Upon returning home, and seeing the interest that built around that single photograph, I wondered how many more I could possibly capture. With the help of my grandmother’s detailed travel journals from their cross-country trips, I have managed to discover the location of dozens of my grandfather’s images. A project that began by chance, now often determines where my next journey will take me.
Since I largely have my grandfather to thank for my love of travel and photography, I wanted to honor his memory by replicating the photographs he took from his trips all across America. This is my PastPresent to him!
